Category Archives: Maccabees

With the rebirth of the State of Israel came the rebirth of the Jew. No longer the Jew cowering in the face of pogroms, Inquisition, Crusades, persecution, expulsions, and the Holocaust. The new Jew, as epitomized by the brave men and women of IDF, would be remade in the image of Moses who led the Jews out of Egyptian slavery, and King David who vanquished our enemies in our land, as well as the Jews of Purim and Hanukah, who fought ever so valiantly and to victory against the great empires of Persia and Greece or for us, whoever rises against us as the modern day equivalent.

But as important to the new Jew as our physical survival is that of our spiritual wellbeing. The persecution of Jews over thousands of years was not just a physical attack, as horrible as it was, but also a spiritual, religious, and cultural one, where Jews were prohibited from learning Torah, worshiping, and practicing as Jews. Thus, the second point of criticality in having the State of Israel is that it provides for Jewish sovereignty and ensures “the Jew as actor, determiner of his or her own destiny.” The Jewish people to truly thrive must be able to express themselves through their own language and history, religiously and culturally, and practically through their own leadership and decision-making to forge their own future.

This is a phenomenal speech by Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu to the United Nations on October 1 2013.

Some highlights from the speech:

– Iran is building underground uranium and plutonium enrichment facilities, using advanced centrifuges, conducting enrichments to near dangerous levels, and developing the ICBMs to deliver the nuclear weapons.

– Iran threatens to wipe Israel off the map and chants death to Israel and America.

– Iran is smiling and negotiating, while positioning themselves for a dash over the nuclear finish line.

– Iran is seeking to provide meaningless concessions and empty promises in return for sanctions relief.

– Nuclear weapons in the hands of the rogue regime of Iran makes nuclear terrorism a clear and present danger.

– Israel will never acquiesce to nuclear weapons in the hands of a rogue regime that threatens to wipe them off the map.

– If Israel is forced to act alone, it will and in so doing be safeguarding many other nations as well.

– A bludgeoned Jewish people left for dead [after the Holocaust] will defend themselves with the courage of the Maccabees and not compromise on security.